Apparently, a TT Bike Makes a Difference

I’ve been competing in triathlons since 2004 - professionally since 2007- and throughout my career, I’ve been profoundly skeptical of time trial bikes.  My old coach always said you could ride just as well on a properly set up road bike with a set of clip-on aerobars as you could on a time trial bike, so for five years, I raced a road bike exclusively.   When the team got sponsored by Specialized this year, I thought about purchasing a time trial bike but was initially reluctant, since it was a bit pricey.   However, after much urging from my teammates, I finally broke down and got one, the Specialized Transition.  After racing on it this past weekend at DinoLand, I can honestly say I didn’t know what I was missing.  I apologize if what follows reads like a Specialized commercial, but I was amazed at how much faster I felt during the race both on the bike and on the run.

Obviously, the bike has some serious aerodynamic advantages over a road bike.  You can look at it and tell right away that a lot of engineering went into every component to make it as aerodynamic as possible. (Plus the bike just looks fast).  What really surprised me, though, was how much more comfortable I felt on it than on my road bike.   I’m sure a lot of that was due to the time and effort that Jerry at Bicycle Village put into making sure it fit me right, but I was still pleasantly surprised that during the race I could remain in an aero position for long periods of time without my lower back tightening up - something I’ve struggled with a lot in recent years.  I felt like I was able to put in a good hard effort on the bike, but despite the extremely tough bike course at DinoLand, my legs still felt reasonably fresh when I started out on the run.  My teammates had been telling me that I’d feel a lot better coming off a time trial bike than a road bike, but I didn’t believe it until that point.  I was able to turn in a 32:51 run split - which adjusted for altitude is probably my fastest ever - and run down a couple of guys ahead of me for a second place finish.   

Anyway, after this weekend, I am officially a believer in time trial bikes, and I will make certain to have mine ready for my next non-drafting race in New York City.